April 1, 11:00 a.m.
I can’t stop smiling.
The guys around me can’t stop smiling either.
We’re standing at 11,638 feet. Wide skis under our boots.
The peaks surrounding us rise like the Alps—jagged, white, breathtaking. The snow is perfect: four inches of light, untouched powder.
Blue bird day. Not cold .Not windy.
But unlike the Alps, there are no lifts, no people, no tracks—just nature in its purest form.
And we’re skiing in a place few would ever expect:
Turkey!
This was far more than a ski trip—it was a journey through history, culture, and remote mountain wilderness. It began in Istanbul, where we stayed in the storied Orient Bank Hotel in the Old Town—a former bank turned boutique hotel, once featured in a James Bond film. It had a panoramic rooftop from where the Golden Horn and Galata tower can be seen .
With a private guide, we explored Istanbul’s iconic sites: the shadowy underground cistern, the monumental Hagia Sophia, and the treasure-laden Topkapi Palace -facing the Bosphrous , where we saw relics like Abraham stone pot,the staff of Moses, King David’s sword, Prophet’s Muhammad sword of ,footprint, sandal and even hair from his beard.
We sipped strong Turkish coffee-sweetened ( suprinsigly, a rarity—only 10% of locals drink it; tea dominates) and enjoyed in the city’s incredible hospitality, even amidst news of unrest.
From Istanbul, we flew to Rize, a lush region on Turkey’s Black Sea coast. Our plane made several nail-biting loops before landing on the runway flanked by the sea.
From there, we drove up into the Kaçkar Mountains and the alpine like village of Ayder, our base for the week.
The Hasimoglu hotel was conveniently located close to these majestic mountains, facing a raging river -making every moment specialT.
Kaçkar Mountain Range lies close to the Caucasus Mountains—so close that we were near the Georgian border.
But the two ranges are separated by a natural corridor—one that historically served as a vital artery of the Silk Road, linking the port town of Pazar to Iran. We visited one of the castles that once served as a caravan stop along this ancient trade route.
Interestingly, the town’s name, Pazar, may be the root of the word bazaar—Arabic speakers pronounce “P” as “B”, turning Pazar into Bazar.
The mountains we explored rose to above 11,600 feet and higher , while our base was at around 4,000 feet.
The flights from the hotel up the mountains was relatively very short.
Our ski days—when the clouds allowed—were absolutely legendary. Helicopters and pilots from Air Zermatt and expert guides like Tom Müller (Austria) and George (New Zealand) , Michele (Italian ) and Heli (Austria )took us deep into pristine terrain. The ski runs were stunningly long, with thousands of feet of vertical drop.
The terrain was perfect for Heli ski, with slopes around 30 to 35 degrees , that minimize the risk of avalanches.
Snow conditions varied from smooth spring corn to soft, floaty powder. On one unforgettable day, we skied over 35,000 vertical feet and 35.6 miles—likely the longest ski day of my life.13 Heli drops!
One of the guides that we met ( he did not guide us) was Abele Blanc. From the Aosta Valley.He’s a 72 years young and very non assuming . He climbed in the early 2000s the 14 highest summit in the world , without oxygen. We watched one evening 2 movies that Abele filmed for the Italian TV-documenting his climbs to Nanga Parbat and K2 .
When weather grounded us, we explored: ziplining across the icy river by our hotel, , hiking to tea fields in the area , tea houses and eating at typical restaurants .Of course after ski we used the spa back in our hotel.
Just before skiing we had daily yoga.
Our final night was spent in the Black Sea town of Fındıklı, where we enjoyed a lavish local feast that cost next to nothing.
Interestingly, while the streets and the cafes outside were mostly filled with men, inside the restaurant was a different world—secular-dressed men and women dining together, many women seated confidently on their own.
This trip defied every expectation: an old empire, untouched mountains, Silk Road castles, and the kind of powder dreams are made of.
We skied 70,124 vertical feet and 69.8 miles .
It was a trip of ,ski, culture, camaraderie, and above all, adventure.
Alon/Joe/David /Rob L/Rob K/Marc/Jay/Shani/Jeff/Lou/Shel/Ed
